GLASS BRINGS you our pick of some of our favourite fragrance releases – these include an exclusive subscription perfume service; a unique Indie-rock musician-led Icelandic house; the latest from some classic heritage brands, too, as well as featuring some twisted chypres, aromatic, citric and churchy (which is enjoying a moment) notes.
Ffern, Summer 23
£79, EDP, 32ml, Ffern
Bottled in Devon, British perfume company Ffern produces limited-edition and high-quality fragrances for each season exclusively for its clients who have to first join its “ledger”, which you can leave at any time (unlike Hotel California). Its latest release, Summer 23 conjures up the last days of the season – and the final hours of the day with bruised peach skies.
Thameen, Insignia
£235, extrait de parfum, 50ml, Thameen.
Presented in a very stylish blue glass vessel, Insignia is the most recent scent from British luxury fragrance house, Thameen. Composed by award-winning nose, Alexandra Carlin, it’s the newest addition to the house’s Sovereign collection – very appropriate for this coronation year.
An extraiti de parfum, it is inspired by the Garter Star, which was presented by the Royal Navy to the then-future British monarch, King George VI, a century ago. Insignia elegantly blends citrus, floral and wood notes of bitter orange, a whiskey accord, Damask rose, geranium and bay leaf with a foundation of vetiver, sandalwood and leather.
Fischersund, No 101
£144, EDP, 50ml, Fischersund
From the Reykjavik-based family-owned experimental perfume company, Fischersund, led by led by Jónsi from the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, its most recent perfume Fischersund No. 101 embraces the darkly aromatic flora and fauna of its homeland.
No. 101 is housed in an opaque black glass vessel – no chance of any light damage here – and gives Nordic dark metal vibes with bosky chervil, arctic angelica, black currant, withered grass, bergamot, cottonwood, poplar pine and red sorrel.
Atkinsons 1799, James
£135, 100ml, EDP available from Harrods
James is the recent launch from the highly respected heritage British perfume company, Atkinsons, founded in 1799 when James Atkinson opened a “perfume emporium” in Soho, London. James is full of character, aromatic, fresh, rich and also somewhat spiritual (church-y fragrances are enjoying a moment now, which I am delighted about).
With bergamot oil, finger lime, pink peppercorn, clary sage as top notes, it has elemi oil, an accord of white flowers with violet leaves, at its heart and is intriguingly completed with wood, amber, vetiver, patchouli and elemi oil (bringing the ecclesiastical atmosphere).
DS and Durga, Pistachio
£190, EDP, 50ml, DS and Durga
This was a limited edition for the oh-so-cool Brooklyn brand DS and Durga and was so popular that it has been brought into the company’s main collection.
Pistachio is a rather unusual and genre-defying scent. Delightfully sweet – but not cloying or sickly – it’s fresh, cool and a little bit nutty in the best possible way. Pistachio’s olfactory palate is composed of carrot seed oil, Damascene rose, sandalwood oil, blackcurrant bud absolute, pink pepper extraction, orange flower absolute, oakwood and cashmeran.
Memo Paris, Sherwood
£230, EDP, 75ml, Memo Paris
Sherwood is a bit of a deceptive name – with a name like this, you might think it would be infused with mysterious ferns, dark dank mosses and shaded green notes. But you would be wrong.
Sherwood from Memo Paris deliciously explores, not just the depths of woodlands, but treads a more holistic and fantasy-filled path – visiting the outskirts as well to present a lighter and more imaginative space with the inclusion of carrot seed oil, Damascena rose, sandalwood oil, blackcurrant bud absolute, pink pepper extraction, orange flower absolute, oakwood and cashmeran.
Bulgari Man, Rain Essence
£69, EDP, 60ml available from Harrods
Released in March and inspired by the power and cleansing nature of the rain, this scent is composed by master perfumer Alberto Morillas – who is the nose behind other Bulgari men’s fragrances such as Man Glacial Essence and 2018’s Man Wood Essence.
Bulgari Man Rain Essence is fresh, invigorating and mineral with a mysterious undertone to keep things interesting. It includes green tea, orange essence, white lotus, crystal musks and a foundation of mineral wood, mineral amber accord and guaiac wood.
Christian Dior, Gris Dior
£225, EDP, 125ml, Dior
From the House’s premier fragrance line, La Collection Privée Christian Dior, and created by master perfumer François Demachy, Gris Dior celebrates the elegance of grey – a key code for the French brand.
The truly genderless Gris Dior is a complex modern chypre – it opens with fresh citrus and green notes and then a floral jasmine appears. Finally, the oakmoss, wood and patchouli notes emerge. Regarded as an olfactory masterpiece, Gris Dior doesn’t shout its brilliance at you, rather announces it coolly.
Givenchy, Gentleman Society
£79, EDP 60ml, Givenchy Beauty
Gentleman was created by Hubert de Givenchy himself in 1975 as an aftershave with a distinctive wood, leather and aromatic profile. The brand has developed subsequent offshoots of the original over the years. Its new flanker, Gentleman Society, is by perfumers Maïa Lernout and Karine Dubreuil and is fronted in a striking ad campaign by British composer, musician and actor Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine.
Gentleman Society adds a sense of mystery and deepens the timeless original with notes of vanilla, tonka bean and patchouli. Gentleman was created by Hubert de Givenchy himself in 1975 as an aftershave with a distinctive wood, leather and aromatic profile.
The brand has developed subsequent offshoots of the original over the years. Its new flanker, Gentleman Society, is by perfumers Maïa Lernout and Karine Dubreuil and is fronted in a striking ad campaign by British composer, musician and actor Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine.
Including top notes of Essence of sage France and Essence of cardamome Guatemala and a heart Absolute of narcissus France, essence of vetiver Haïti, CO2 vetiver extract Haïti, , organic essence of vetiver Madagascar and a base of organic essence of cedarwood Himalaya as well as absolute of Tasuki vanilla Madagascar, this is a compelling take on the original.
Tumi, Awaken [0800 GMT]
£65, EDP, 50ml, available from Fenwick
The leading travel and lifestyle company, Tumi, has ventured into the world of fragrance with the release of its first collection of four scents. Glass is intrigued by Awaken [0800 GMT], which gives you an energising and invigorating kick-start to the day.
Falling squarely in the fougere scent category, the crisp and bright Awaken [0800 GMT] is infused with bergamot, grapefruit and coriander, cypress, frankincense, patchouli and cedarwood. It’s a very bracing livener.
by Caroline Simpson